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"Hockeyland"—the third documen- tary Tommy Haines has made about hockey—tells the story of two northern Minnesota high school teams, Eveleth and Hermantown, as they compete for the title of state champion. "We hope audiences fall in love with Minnesota hockey like we did," director and filmmaker Haines says. "And that they see how important hockey is to these kids' lives, how much love these commu- nities have for the sport, and how much the coaches impact the players' lives out- side of hockey." "Hockeyland" highlights four individ- ual senior boys as they navigate their last year in high school, and it follows their personal trials and tribulations as they face the end of their prep hockey careers. MHJ // Why did you choose to follow these two towns? Tommy Haines // There are so many great high school rivalries we could have followed—we spent nearly six years tracking which were the most capti- vating. We decided to focus on Eveleth because their program was getting con- solidated with their neighboring town. That storied program that produced players like John Mariucci and John Mayasich would no longer exist. Hermantown was a Goliath figure that Eveleth would have to climb to make the state tournament, so choosing to also fol- low Hermantown made this a David and Goliath story in some ways. Northern Minnesota is—in some regards—frozen in time. Kids up here still play multiple sports, they ride snow- mobiles and shovel roofs. There's a nos- talgic quality to this part of the state that drew us here. MHJ // Texas has football, and Indiana has basketball. What makes hockey special to Minnesotans? Haines // We have the climate, and we have over 10,000 lakes that become rinks each winter. Most kids play together from the time they're four years old up through high school. Beyond that, Minnesota is fairly unique compared to the rest of the country in that we have a communi- ty-supported model. Taxpayers pay for the local rinks, and parents and commu- nity members volunteer selling conces- sions or flooding the rinks. Each year the state high school tournament is sold out, and schools literally shut down. MHJ // What do you hope viewers take away from the film? Haines // Hopefully, it's a story that's emblematic of so many boys and girls across the state and country, and I hope that viewers can see some of their own story in the four boys that we follow. Beyond that, I hope people everywhere can see the importance of hockey and how its structure and coaches positively impact the players. MHJ // What are you, personally, taking away from this experience? Haines // It was such an amazing experi- ence to get to know these boys and their families, and it was an honor that they trusted us enough to let them into their lives. We filmed hockey, but we were also along for first dates, dances and family din- ners. I can't be thankful enough to these families for letting us into their lives. Director Tommy Haines shares the inspiration for his newest film Hockeyland Hits Home "Hockeyland" premiered in more than 100 theaters nationwide on Sept. 9. Visit Hockeylandmovie.com to find a theater near you. MADE IN MINNESOTA | By Kelsey Hanson 07 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M 2020 Mr. Hockey Award winner and UMD junior forward Blake Biondi stars in "Hockeyland."